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Psalm 33:12 states, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!” The psalmist refers to the nation of Israel. God selected Israel as the nation through which He would bring His promised Messiah (Deuteronomy 18:15;Malachi 4:5-6;Isaiah 7:14-16). He pledged to provide, bless, and safeguard the Israelites if they obeyed Him. However, the Old Testament reveals the tragic outcomes when they turned away from Him (Ezekiel 5;20:8;Isaiah 1). Israel’s history illustrates the repercussions a nation may face when its people forsake God.
No other nation will ever hold the unique position in God’s grand plan that Israel does. It would be incorrect to appropriate many of the specific promises God made to Israel, as they were intended for a particular time and purpose. For instance, present-day nations are not assured abundant harvests and healthy livestock if they adhere to the Mosaic Law (see Deuteronomy 28:4); that assurance was for Israel under the Old Covenant in the Promised Land—the blessing was specifically linked to the land of Israel (verse 11). Nevertheless, many of the general principles in Scripture apply universally. From Israel’s history, we can glean insights into what typically occurs when nations honor the Lord and when they defy His commands.
While the Israelites remained faithful to the Lord, demolished idol temples, and observed God’s commandments, the Lord actively defended them when other nations attacked. Exodus 14 provides the initial instance of the Lord as the Defender of the newly established nation of Israel. As Moses led the people out of Egypt, Pharaoh and his armies pursued them. The people w
They were terrified and began to doubt whether Moses knew what he was doing. However, “Moses answered the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still'” (Exodus 14:13-14). What followed was the miraculous parting of the Red Sea (verses 21–22).
In contrast to this miraculous intervention, the Bible provides examples of God refusing to intervene when destruction came upon Israel. Second Kings, starting in chapter 24, details the end of God’s blessing on Israel. God’s chosen people had defied the Lord, built idol temples, and filled their lives with fornication, murder, and adultery. They had desecrated the temple and ignored the Law for generations. God sent prophets to call them to repentance, but they would not listen and often killed those messengers (Luke 11:27-28). The Lord had warned them repeatedly, and when they refused to listen, He sent judgment in the form of invaders who took them captive and destroyed their cities (2 Kings 24:12-14). The once-great nation had been brought low and lost the blessings God desired to give it. The general principle we learn from this is that sin brings negative consequences. Galatians 6:7 is God’s warning to individuals and to nations that He will not be mocked. We reap what we sow.
Many nations of antiquity no longer exist, having brought God’s judgment upon themselves for their sin. Edom (Jeremiah 49:17-22), Assyria (Zephaniah 2:13-15), Sodom «And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is gr
Eat, and because their sin is very grievous; », (Genesis 18:20), and Babylon (Jeremiah 51) were all wiped out, according to the biblical prophets, for their evil before the Lord. There remain no representatives of the Hittites «For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off. », (Exodus 23:23), Moabites (Zephaniah 2:8-10), or Philistines «Woe unto the inhabitants of the seacoast, the nation of the Cherethites! The word of the LORD is against you; O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant. », (Zephaniah 2:5) due to their stubborn rebellion against the Lord.
God blessed Israel by prospering them when the people honored Him. God had brought them into a land that was “flowing with milk and honey” «If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. », (Numbers 14:8). When they obeyed Him, He promised to provide all they needed and to protect their lives (Exodus 23:25-26). He cared that they lived peacefully and happily (1 Kings 4:25; Psalm 29:11; Proverbs 19:23). He commanded them to honor His Sabbaths so that they would have rest «Ye shall keep my Sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD. », (Leviticus 19:30).
(Leviticus 19:30). However, when Israel followed wicked kings into idolatry and harlotry, God sent famines and pestilence on the land that He loved, saying, “So will I send upon you famine and evil beasts, and they shall bereave thee; and pestilence and blood shall pass through thee; and I will bring the sword upon thee. I the LORD have spoken it.” (Ezekiel 5:17). This teaches us that the Lord delights in prospering His loyal servants (Psalm 25:12-13; Proverbs 13:21). Material wealth is not proof that God is blessing a nation, as evil kings and countries can prosper too. However, when we honor the Lord and obey His commands, we reap the benefits of living honorably, morally, and honestly. A nation that honors God’s laws also reaps those benefits. History shows that those who do not are often destroyed from within.
God gives us His laws for our own good. He created us to fellowship with Him and walk in righteousness. When we do so, we are living within the healthy boundaries He established and are protected from much of the heartache and catastrophe Satan devises. However, when a nation turns away from the true God and becomes its own god, the Lord removes His protective hand and allows that nation to experience the world it has demanded. Romans 1:18–32 shows us the progression of people and nations that have defied God and redefined morality. Homosexuality, unbridled lust, and idolatry are all part of God’s judgment on a nation that has turned away from Him.
The good news is that God knows those who are His and promises to reward them, even when all others have turned away. Malachi 3:13–18 contains one of the most comforting passages in the Old Testament. It reminds us that God is watching, He knows all, and He will judge righteously. Even when a nation turns…
Even if a nation turns away from God, individuals within that nation can still follow Him and know that their names are inscribed in God’s book of remembrance.
